Working for Lucifer is the best job
in the universe, until the day it’s not. Then you’re on your own, with Hell at
your heels.

Ava, Sin of Greed, has had a rough
week. The angel she planned to make a life with left her with nothing but a Dear
Jane letter. Even worse, Lucifer believes she spilled Hell’s secrets to her ex,
and her boss’s temper is notoriously apocalyptic.

For centuries, Dante kept his
feelings for Ava under lock-and-key. The one time he pursued something more, he
nearly lost her for good. Lesson learned. However, when he hears of her planned
elopement, all bets are off. Not having Ava was a reality he could accept.
Losing her to an angel is something else entirely.

Now, Ava, once Hell’s golden child,
is fleeing for her life. When her old friend Dante shows up, her first instinct
is to send him packing. But Dante is more than a friend—he’s the only other man
who tempted her, and his fierce loyalty challenges everything she thought she
knew about him. As Ava prepares to battle the devil himself, she can’t keep
from getting closer to Dante…though she doubts her heart can survive another
break.

Excerpt:

Someone thumped
her on the shoulder and sent her spiraling out of her thoughts. A jolt rushed
through her body and everything went on autopilot. Ava jumped to her feet,
formed a fist, and landed a blind punch in less than three seconds. It took
another ten seconds for her scattered mind to piece together what had just
occurred, and by then she was staring into an all-too familiar pair of crystal
blue eyes.

Ava blinked.
Hard. “Dante?”

“Fucking hell,”
he cursed, cradling his nose and scowling at her. “What’d you do that for?”

“What the hell
were you sneaking up on me for?”

“I didn’t
sneak!”

Ava looked
around, then waved a hand. “This is a graveyard, Dante. In the middle of the
night in Nowheresville. You don’t just…I dunno, touch someone. You let someone
know you’re there.”

“And here I
thought getting your attention would do that just fine.”

“Not like
that!”

“Next time I’ll
read the fucking rule book.” Dante dropped his hands and sniffed. A small fleck
of blood colored the space between his nose and lips, but other than looking a
little swollen, he seemed otherwise undamaged. “If this is the way you greet
your friends, it’s no small wonder the whole of Hades is after your sorry ass.”

Ava’s shoulders dropped and she rolled her
head back, a long groan riding off her lips. “You know about that?”

“What other
reason would I have to be… Where the fuck are we?”

“Mississippi.”

Dante offered a
dramatic sigh, though something in his eyes told her he’d only asked for show.
Even at his drunkest, he wasn’t the sort to forget what state he was in.

“Mississippi,”
he muttered. “So that’s what that smell is.”

On the other
hand… Ava straightened her spine and arched an eyebrow at him. “So…what? You
come out here to make fun of the locals?”

“No,” he
replied coolly, wiping the stray speck of blood off his otherwise pale,
pristine skin. “I came here for you.”

Everything in
her stilled. Though she’d heard him the first time, the words had a way of
really sinking in upon repetition. As though it took a time delay for her to
realize there was no reason aside from her current problem that Dante should be
out here with her—or here at all. He wasn’t the sort of guy to crash in
antebellum tourist traps.

“You came here
for me,” she echoed. “Why?”

He shrugged a
shoulder, his face blanking the way it did when he wanted to appear blasé. “Why
not?”

“Come on.”

“Thought you
could use a friend.”

Ava stared at
him a moment longer, then sighed heavily and tore her gaze to the ground. Yeah,
she supposed she could use a friend. Or a whole army of them. And though Dante
wasn’t the first person she would have called, she couldn’t deny she was happy
to see him.

Not that his
presence answered her questions. If anything, he added to the pile.

“I take it
Merle gave you the message,” she murmured. “About…”

“The angel?”
One perfect eyebrow arched. Actually, there wasn’t much about Dante that wasn’t
perfect. Physically, at least. One of his most annoying qualities also happened
to be his most prized. There was nothing worse than a man who knew just how
damn good he looked.

Truly, Dante
had always seemed a bit too perfect when it came to the male form. He was only
a few inches taller than she and had a body built for debauchery, complete with
strong arms and a marble-carved chest. Tonight, he was wrapped in a snug pair
of jeans and a form-fitting long-sleeved navy tee, which made his pale skin
seem paler. His hair was coal black and his eyes sparkled blue. Ava had always
loved his eyes.

And thinking
about his perfect eyes right now on the cusp of a broken heart while all of
Hell nipped her heels was probably the last in a very long line of bad ideas.
At once she felt overtly vulnerable, exposed. Standing in a strange town under
strange circumstances with him, her oldest friend, seeming one part savior and
one part…pissed.

Nothing in her
world made sense right now. Dante had just muddied things up even more.

“Yeah,” she
said when she remembered to speak. “The angel. Merle told you.”

Dante nodded
solemnly. “That was the plan, right?”

Ava released a
shaky breath, her mind spinning so fast it was a small wonder she remained
standing. Looking at Dante now with everything that had happened in the past
week still heavy on her heart, with the uncertainty of her future, took her
suddenly oddly-shaped world and turned it on its head. She felt like she was
living in the funhouse mirror version of her reality. Sebastian, then the
Binsfeld Six, and now her vampire.

At some point
she had to wake up.

“What are you
doing here?” she asked again. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“Not much,” he
admitted, stepping forward.

There was
something guarded in his gaze, and so help her if she started analyzing every
little look from Dante, she would lose her mind. Trying to figure out what he
was doing here was work enough.

“Not much.”

He nodded.
“Just that you were out here. And you could use a friend.”

This admission
did little to answer her questions. Her friendship with Dante was not a secret,
by any means, yet she couldn’t speculate as to why anyone right now would
decide to throw her a lifeline. Being alone certainly hadn’t done much for
her…yet there was a good reason she hadn’t gone to Dante in the first place.

Dante was the
kind of friend who was there for the good times and gone for the bad. At least
in her experience. If he had any idea what was really going on, he’d make
tracks. The large, cartoonish kind.

But Dante
didn’t know. Hell, he didn’t even know what she was. His knowledge beyond his
own kind was rather limited, and while his experience with others of Lilith’s
children left him with a relatively grounded understanding of how the world
worked, certain things—like Hell and all its residents—remained more or less
relegated to the realm of other. He was aware Hell existed, sure, and had
figured her for a demon early in their relationship, but otherwise boasted
little knowledge of Lucifer or the pit beyond what was assumed through myth.

Seven centuries
and he had no idea she was part of that myth. She’d never mentioned it, and he
likely hadn’t thought to ask. His perception of her role had been established
on the legs of their meeting, which, as it was, had been entirely accidental.
It just so happened she didn’t like watching anyone, demon or otherwise, suffer
at the hands of holy men, and in saving Dante’s life all those years ago, she’d
earned a permanent ally.

Well, until
now. Her own brand of permanence was about to run out, and of course Dante wouldn’t
know why. If she explained the significance of what had occurred with
Sebastian, and how limited her future was, he would be gone. She wouldn’t know
to miss him.

Still, she owed
him explanations. Dante was the one loose end she had—the only one who wouldn’t
know why she was gone when Lucifer finally came to collect her life. Her
siblings knew what was coming. Dante was the last person to whom to pay her
regards.

Perhaps that
was why someone had sent him to her. So she could do right by her one earthly friend
and say goodbye.

“I could,” Ava
admitted softly. “Use a friend. I’m glad you’re here.”

A shadow
crossed Dante’s face. “That’s not good.”

She frowned.
“What? That I’m glad you’re here?”

“Yeah. You’re
never glad I’m near these days.” He laughed shortly. “You must really be into
some deep shit.”

“You have no
idea.”

“All this over
an angel.”

The corner of
Ava’s mouth pulled into a grin, and for a moment she felt somewhat like her old
self. “More or less.”

“An angel, Ava.
For fuck’s sake, what happened to your dignity?”

“Where were you
three weeks ago?”

“I dunno, but
if I’d known you were gonna be falling for one of those winged assholes, you’d
better believe I’d have dropped everything to beat some sense into you.”

She snickered.
“Like you could take me.”

“You never give
me the chance to try,” he retorted, his eyes gleaming.

“Your ego is
too fragile to handle getting your ass handed to you by a girl.”

“So you’ve told
me. And told me. And told me. You know what they say about words and actions,
don’t you, love?”

A small thrill
raced down her spine, her insides igniting with heat and a rush of good
old-fashioned nostalgia. “Wanna grab a beer?” she asked. “Or, you know, a
burger? I don’t think I’ve eaten in a week.” She paused, then waved at him.
“You can consider it the last meal of a condemned man.”

“‘Cause you’re
gonna kick my ass, right?”

“That’s the
plan.”

Dante grinned
ear-to-ear. “Thought you’d never ask.”

My Review: 4 1/2 stars

Oh damn! This was really good! I loved Rosalie's unique perspective on making the seven deadly sins people, having them have issues just like everyone else. I loved the way that Ava and Dante had this fantastic chemistry and the easy way they bantered back and forth. Ava and Dante had fun with each other while on the run from Lucifer. I really don't want to give anything else away, so I'll just say that it was awesome from beginning to end. What a way to start a series! I loved the characters and the story line was creative, funny, sexy and unique. I am definitely looking forward to more Sinners and Saints from Rosalie.

About
the Author:

Rosalie Stanton is a multi-published
erotic romance author, with emphasis in paranormal and urban fantasy. A
lifelong enthusiast of larger than life characters, Rosalie enjoys building
worlds filled with strong heroes and heroines of all backgrounds.

Rosalie lives in Missouri with her
husband. At an early age, she discovered a talent for creating worlds, which
evolved into a love of words and storytelling. Rosalie graduated with a degree
in English. As the granddaughter of an evangelical minister, Rosalie applied
herself equally in school in the creative writing and religious studies
departments, which had an interesting impact on her writing. When her attention
is not engaged by writing or editing, she enjoys spending time with close
friends and family.